Ed. Week post (catch up #6)

In the Ed. Week January 12 issue the article, “Tucson District Holds Firm Despite State Ultimatum On ethnic-Studies Classes” discusses the issue of Tucsons’ forcing schools to stop teaching ethnic studies. I really don’t understand how this became an issue. It doesn’t seem equitable to tell schools they cannot teach this. I would think that the United States Government would intercede on the basis that it is discriminatory. Mr. Horne, Arizona’s schools chief said, “It is fundamentally wrong to divide students up according to their racial group and teach them separately”. Furthermore, Mr. Huppenthal, a former state legislator and Mr. Horne’s replacement said his classroom encounter “clearly revealed an unbalanced, politicized and historically inaccurate view of American history being taught”. In my undergraduate history and anthropology classes, as well as my upbringing, I was taught that there are two sides to every story and that each side has value and some truth to it. Therefore, I think it is unconstitutional to tell these schools that they cannot teach this “different” point of view as long as they are teaching both sides. One thought I had was, If they teach these classes as an extracurricular class or elective class then there should be no dilemma.